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Trials and tribulations... continued As our saga continues, we decided to once again contact the co-packer on the East coast (the one that had been so helpful in the beginning). Guess we got them mad at us as well as now they are not responding to our request. The strange thing about this is that when we originally contacted them they suggested we might want to find a co-packer that was closer as there would be multiple visits to ensure the product was right before going into production (we won't be flying to North Carolina on our private jet now!!). After much consternation (that's a big word that means worry), we have decided that we may want to bottle our sauces and dry rubs ourselves. What do we do now we asked ourselves (we do this a lot)? Well, it just so happened that one of the crew was in a small town that has an active downtown area. After visiting several small stores he came upon one that sold a salsa that was manufactured not far from us. A quick look on the Internet and we found a telephone number and a contact name. Silverbeard, the best talker on the team, called the company and spoke with a very nice lady who provided him with myriads (another fancy word meaning "lots") of information. After hearing our story, she informed him that when the first started, they could not afford a commercial kitchen so they rented a house in one of the less economically advanced areas of town. They received a health inspection and manufacturing license and while they made salsa, their neighbors cooked up something else. She advised us not to go to the grocery chains as they could break you just as fast as they can make you (large orders that cannot be met, price setting, etc.). Stick to specialty shops and enter your product in competitions and display them at area events. Most of all, she advised us that we needed more than one product (her company has about ten) and that we just have to be persistent. Their company has now been in business sixteen years, has ten employees and has all the business they want. They have a one page web site and take all Internet orders over the telephone, no shopping cart for them. After talking with the Small Business Administration and trying to figure this out for ourselves, she provided more useful information in a half hour telephone call than we had gathered in almost six months. So, now the hunt is on for an economical (cheap) building that has an area we can use as a kitchen. Anyone know of something like this in East Texas? More updates as the adventure continues... click to continue...... |
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